Tracking down the birthplaces of classic American dishes is not as difficult as it may sound. In 1943, friends Ike Sewell and Rick Ricardo opened Pizzeria Uno in Chicago's River North neighborhood. Although pizza had already made inroads in America, Sewell Americanized the dish by adding cornmeal (plentiful thanks to Chicago's Midwest location) to the crust and by turning it into a deep-dish pie that incorporated sliced cheese topped with meats, vegetables and sauce. Although it has evolved into a worldwide chain named Uno Chicago Grill—with locations as far-flung as London and Lahore—the original Pizzeria Uno and spinoff Pizzeria Due are still around. Although frequently crowded, the pizza is well worth it.

For more information: Pizzeria Uno

Located on a busy South Philadelphia intersection across from archrivals Geno's Steaks, Pat's King of Steaks was founded in 1930 by Pat and Harry Olivieri. The brothers are widely believed to have created the Philadelphia steak sandwich in 1933 at a hot dog stand in the nearby Italian Market neighborhood. The classic article consists of thinly shaved steak, grilled with chopped onions and served on a hoagie roll. Cheese was a later addition, courtesy of neighboring Geno's. Nonetheless, Pat's can claim the earlier origins—and is also open 24 hours for Philadelphia's hungry night owls.

Back in the 1970s, the long-defunct Los Angeles restaurant Tokyo Kaikan introduced California rolls to the world. These days, the founders of Tokyo Kaikan operate Orange County's Kitayama. The 19-year-old restaurant specializes in sushi nigri, but California rolls, of course, are still on the menu. Special banquets at the restaurant also include hard-to-find dishes including Kobe beef tartare and matsutake mushroom rice.

For more information: Kitayama

Named for a 1950s-era New Orleans politician, Bananas Foster was first served at Brennan's in 1951. As created by chef Paul Blange, the dish consists of bananas in a sauce of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, rum and banana liqueur that is flambed tableside and served over ice cream. Bananas foster are still on the menu—but the restaurant is best-known today for its excellent seafood and for the ghost that is rumored to haunt the restaurant (and even earned Brennan's an appearance on the television show Ghost Hunters).

For more information: Brennan's

Le Cirque is one of New York's most famous restaurants and even today, A-listers from the world of business and media can frequently be found at its bar. However, its most famous culinary contribution is pasta primavera—a concoction of pasta in a vegetable-and-cream sauce that became a national craze when popularized by Craig Claiborne in the 1970s. Although pastas like tortelli amatriciana stuffed with guanciale and tomato now dominate the menu, pasta primavera can still be ordered as an off-menu special.

For more information: Le Cirque

Philippe the Original, the birthplace of the French dip sandwich, is a time warp into the L.A. of yore. The sprawling restaurant has a retro ambiance and a menu that includes side dishes such as pickled eggs and  beets. But focus on the French dip sandwiches—available in your choice of beef, pork, ham, lamb and turkey. They're dipped in "jus" from the freshly roasted meats.The beef "double-dipped" is highly recommended, with plenty of mustard. The restaurant just celebrated its 100th anniversary.

For more information: Philippe

At more than 160 years old, Antoine's is one of New Orleans' oldest restaurants. Though the home of several popular dishes, it is best-known for introducing Oysters Rockefeller to the culinary lexicon. The restaurant keeps the exact recipe a closely guarded secret, but it's safe to say that it is a combination of oysters on the half shell, parsley and parmesan cheese in a sauce of butter, herbs and breadcrumbs. An appetizer portion goes for $13.25 and can be accompanied by another unique Antoine's combination—oysters Foch, which are fried oysters on toast topped with foie gras and sauce.

For more information: Antoine's

Louis' Lunch is a pint-sized New Haven institution that is widely believed to have created America's first hamburger. The rules are quirky—the hamburger comes on white toast with tomato and optional grilled onions and cheese spread, but the meat is top-notch and the atmosphere is second to none. While they are closed on Sundays and Mondays, late-night revelers can get their hamburgers until 2AM on Friday and Saturday nights. Check out the counter, parts of which date back to 1898.

For more information: Louis' Lunch

 Located in the heart of La Revo, the Hotel Caesar was once Tijuana's finest hotel. In 1924, according to culinary folklore, Italian immigrant chef Caesar Cardini created the Caesar salad in the hotel's dining room using romaine lettuce, cheese and a dressing made from eggs, salt, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, olive oil, salt and pepper. Although Cardini later moved back to the United States, the Hotel Caesar still serves the salad in its dining room.

Humble El Faro's original Mission District location is the restaurant responsible for that most Mexican-American of foods, the overstuffed burrito. In 1961, grocery store owner Jose Ontiveros decided to add a meat, bean, rice and cheese-filled roll-up to his repertoire of cooked tacos and Mexican antojitos, and the rest is history. The original offering evolved into the Super Burrito—a San Francisco specialty of meat, beans, rice, cheese, guacamole and sour cream. After it expanded into a restaurant, El Faro opened two other branches in San Francisco.

The muffuletta is arguably New Orleans' highest culinary achievement. The sandwich was invented in 1906 at New Orleans' Central Grocery, which still sells them to locals and tourists alike. To make a muffuletta, stuff an oversized loaf of Sicilian bread with capicola, salami, mortadella, emmentaler cheese, provolone cheese and a powerful, supremely garlicky olive salad.  One sandwich can easily feed three people.